Dionne Ford Kurtti, a writer and mom, has been tracing her family’s ancestry since she was 12-years-old and tells of her journey on her blog, Finding Josephine. It all started, she explains, when, “I asked a simple question: ‘Grandpa, are you white?’ My grandfather’s answer sent me on a lifelong journey to piece together our family story and reveal a not uncommon but often untold part of American history.”

She is celebrating Kwanzaa with her two daughters and husband. Their decision to do so for the past two years, was to remember their ancestors and reclaim the African culture that was lost during the Middle Passage. In the process, they are learning much more about their past…..

Tomorrow on New Year’s Eve, you get to take a chance and Guess the 1st New Year’s Baby born at Mountainside Hospital. The winner will receive dinner for two at Bistro 18 and a gift certificate to Amanti Vino’s wine club (a $40 value).
What will the first baby receive? Thanks to the following Baristaville businesses and their wonderful generosity, a gift basket containing the following:

With a child this big (6-years-old), right here and now throws everything else into shadow. Either that, or I’ve got some kind of weird memory disease. But I am often struck by how long gone our kid’s earlier childhood–and earlier parenting–seems. Memories from just last year can be like somebody else’s family videos.
Once in a while, though, it all comes back. And more than anything I want to go back to when our child was younger. Blindsides and hurts, this parental nostalgia, but also a window on the best, best times.
Then there’s the opposite–stuff comes back that I couldn’t stand. And I’m surprised at how much I couldn’t stand it. Happened just the other day at Whole Foods. Walking by the baby food shelf, I looked at all the little jars with cloying faux-country labels proclaiming wholesomeness–fruits and veggies that never watch TV–and ludicrous prices and felt a wave of loathing. A thought, surprising in its power and vehemence arose:

This week brings on a new year and a new decade–2010. Kids are home on winter recess, hopefully keeping busy playing with all their new toys from the holidays. If you need more to keep them occupied, check our Upcoming Events for local happenings. Here are this week’s highlights:Learn About Ice CreamDecember 30
Liberty Science Center is celebrating The 12 Days of Science. Today’s activity is Funny Flavors Ice Cream Making.Ring in the New Year With the FamilyDecember 31
First Night Montclair has a great lineup of performances and activities to celebrate on New Year’s Eve.Visit a Museum for FreeJanuary 3
If you’re a Bank of America cardholder, you get free admision to many Baristaville museums today.

Now that the mountains of wrapping paper and boxes have been cleared, you may be wondering where to stash the remaining mounds of new, and pre-existing, toys, several of which may have been duplicated and triplicated following the holidays.
Why not take them along to the Great West Essex Toy Swap, on Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Temple Sholom of West Essex? There, you’ll be able to give those toys, which should be newish or gently used, a loving home, and perhaps even exchange them for other toys for free.
The Toy Swap was born out of a suggestion by Greg Gutbezahl, a graphic designer in Bloomfield, and was embraced by the good, community-minded folk at Temple Sholom.

There’s no better way to burn off the excesses of the holidays than to skate around an ice rink a few dozen dozen times. Luckily, there isn’t a shortage of the slick frozen stuff. Close to home in Baristaville is Floyd Hall Arena, which offers ample public skating hours and lessons for everyone from novices to expert figure skaters and hockey enthusiasts. Floyd Hall boasts two NHL-size rinks, an off-ice training area, concession stand, pro shop and facilities for birthday parties. With three public skating slots daily, beginning at 10.30am, it’s one way of keeping your kids from climbing walls inside your home over the school break.Lessons and slightly fewer public skating hours are available at the Clary Anderson arena on Chestnut Ave, which is run by the United Skates of America. On weekdays and afternoons, it’s $6 per person ($7 on weekends) for admission and $3.75 for skate rental.
Families enjoying a staycation may as well traipse into NYC, where outdoor skating is a romantic, music-accompanied experience at the Pond at Bryant Park, which will welcome anyone with knife-heeled boots from 8am until 10pm on most days. Bring your own, or rent skates for under $10 a pair. Entrance is free.

If you are spending New Year’s Eve with your kids, First Night Montclair has some great shows and activities to entertain the little party revelers. While not exactly the New Year’s Eve celebration you might have spent pre-kids, First Night is definitely not lame. Before you set out for the evening, check here for details on street closures and the First Night Montclair Shuttle Bus.
What’s up, and when, on First Night:BubbleMania
BubbleMania returns with a unique program of high-energy entertainment giant floating bubbles up to 6 feet in diameter, long serpents of soap film stretching over 25 feet, bubbles that bounce, bubble spacecraft, bubble volcano and plenty more bubble magic. Bubble artist Seth Bloom’s creations grow from intricate and imaginative bubble art forms to “trapping” people inside bubbles!
Shows at 5:00, 6:05, and 7:45 p.m. at the Park Street YMCA.Drew the Dramatic Fool
Drew Richardson, aka Drew the Dramatic Fool, reinvents the ancient art of brilliant bumbling. Drew offers amusement relevant for today’s audiences by giving them laughter built on a range of human emotions, from joy to fear to despair and back to joy again.Shows at 5:00 and 6:05 p.m. at Unitarian Church Hall, 67 Church Street.Cashore Marionettes
Award-winning artist Joseph Cashore creates and manipulates the amazingly life-like marionettes in a series of touching character portrayals and scenes from everyday life set to a succession of stunning original and classical music including Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven, and Copland. The vignettes explore a range of emotions, from comic to tragic, with characters and actions that are amazingly convincing and engaging. This year, their shows will be “Simple Gifts” and “Life in Motion”.Shows at 6:05 and 7:45 p.m. at the United Way Building, 60 South Fullerton Avenue.

If you haven’t tried Music Together with your little one, now is your chance to take a class for free. The winter session begins on January 11, so if you and your child have fun, you will still have time to sign up for the session.Free Music Together ClassWho: Infants – 4-year-olds and their parents or caregivers.What: Free Music Together class for new families.Where: Music Together, The Mews location, 594 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ, 07043.When: Wednesday, January 6 at 9:30 a.m. OR 10:30 a.m.Cost: Free. Call 973.509.0950 to reserve a spot.

Montclair High School is on the lookout for a new Head Football Coach as the retirement of Ed Lebida, current head coach and assistant principal of many years, approaches in January. The input of community and staff members will be sought in the final decision, expected to be made by early March, the BoE said on its website. The new head coach will commence at the job in the summer of 2010.
The district isn’t seeking to replace the positions of assistant principal and head coach position with just one staff member, and Lebida’s duties as assistant principal were reassigned to existing staff for the rest of the ongoing school year. Details on the administrative changes at MHS are found here.
The posting for the coaching job specifies that candidates should possess “thorough knowledge of the game, a sophisticated understanding of coaching strategies, a successful background in coaching football, and a demonstrated ability to enhance player development.”